CCPR/C/116/D/2198/2012
number of crimes (fraud, theft, abuse of official authority). The request was not satisfied in
part concerning the author’s conviction under article 221, paragraph 1, of the Belarus
Criminal Code (organizing production and storing of securities with the aim to sell). The
author appealed the decision of the Deputy Prosecutor General, but the appeal was
dismissed by the Moscow Regional Court on 6 July 2012. The author appealed it within the
cassation proceedings; however, on 24 September 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the
Regional Court’s decision. The State party notes that neither the author nor his counsel
appealed the Supreme Court’s decision within the supervisory review procedure.
4.2
In the light of the above, the State party notes that, pursuant to article 2 of the
Optional Protocol to the Covenant, individuals may submit a complaint concerning
violations of their rights guaranteed by the Covenant only after exhausting all available
domestic remedies. In this connection, it further notes that, pursuant to article 402 of the
Criminal Procedure Code, judgments that have entered into force, as well as other court
rulings and decisions, may be reviewed in line with the procedure set out in chapter 48 of
the Code. As the plenary of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation explained in its
ruling No.1 of 11 January 2007, “On application of chapter 48 of the Criminal Procedure
Code in relation to proceedings before the supervisor y instance”, judgments that have
entered into force may be appealed within the supervisory review procedure by, inter alia, a
suspect, an accused, a convict, a counsel or a third person whose rights have been breached.
Pursuant to article 406, paragraph 3, of the Criminal Procedure Code, a judge examines the
request for supervisory review and decides either to initiate proceedings within the
supervisory review and forward the appeal for examination to a court of supervisory
instance or to reject the request. The President of the Supreme Court or his or her deputy
may disagree with the judge’s decision to dismiss the request for supervisory review. In that
case, she or he revokes the negative decision, decides to initiate proceedings within the
supervisory review and forwards the appeal for examination by a court of supervisory
instance. Furthermore, pursuant to article 408, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Procedure
Code, a court of a supervisory instance may: (a) reject the supervisory appeal or
application, and leave the appealed judicial decision unchanged; (b) revoke the appealed
judgment, ruling or decision and all the subsequent judicial decisions, and terminate the
proceedings in the respective criminal case; (c) revoke the judgment, ruling or decision and
all the subsequent decisions, and forward the criminal case for a new court examination;
(d) revoke the judgment of the appeals instance court and forward the criminal case for a
new appeals examination; (e) revoke the ruling of the cassation instance court and all the
subsequent judicial decisions, and forward the criminal case for new examination within
cassation proceedings; and (f) introduce amendments in a judgment, ruling or decision.
4.3
Accordingly, since neither the author nor his counsel appealed to the Supreme Court
within the supervisory review procedure, the State party considers that the communication
is inadmissible due to non-exhaustion of all available domestic remedies as required by the
Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
Issues and proceedings before the Committee
Consideration of admissibility
5.1
Before considering any claims contained in a communication, the Committee must
decide, in accordance with rule 93 of its rules of procedure, whether the communication is
admissible under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
5.2
The Committee has ascertained, as required under article 5 (2) (a) of the Optional
Protocol, that the same matter is not being examined under another procedure of
international investigation or settlement.
4